Poverty alleviation

Located on the Loess Plateau among the Liupan Mountains－an area that was once home to a large number of poverty-stricken families－Huanxian has an arid climate unsuited to the cultivation of crops and grasses. Moreover, the lack of a transportation infrastructure was once an obstacle to the expansion of the sheep industry.

To solve those problems, about 10 years ago the county government introduced high-yield sheep breeds and mechanized fodder planting, while laying sealed roads through the mountains.

Last year, the per capita income of the county's sheep farmers was 5,200 yuan, a rise from the 4,000 yuan recorded in 2019.

In February last year, the provincial government took Huanxian and 30 other counties off the list of poverty-stricken areas.

The move was in line with standards and regulations established by the central government.

"At first, the villagers were always worried about the survival rate of the Hu sheep. Any deaths added to their suspicions about the breed," said Wan Hao, a poverty alleviation official in the county's Heiquanhe village.

"Some villagers wouldn't even pay 100 yuan for a year's medical care for themselves. They said they didn't have any illnesses so they had no reason to prepare for unpredictable events in the future," he said.

In the same vein, they were unwilling to purchase health insurance for their livestock.

Wan arranged for those villagers who were most likely to adopt new ideas to visit sheep-breeding bases to learn about Hu sheep and study the advanced technology being used to raise them.

"Villagers tend to follow the advice of their peers, rather than officials like me," he said.

To further boost the locals' confidence in the sheep, the businesses only sell them pregnant ewes to ensure fertility.

The local government provides a subsidy of 800 yuan for each 2,400 yuan ewe.

The county government said that by the end of the year, it aims to have bred 3 million sheep, raising the annual per capita income of local farmers to 6,000 yuan.